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People group profile · PG013109

The Mau of Côte d’Ivoire

The Mau of Côte d’Ivoire, numbering about 453,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Mande people of northwestern Cote d'Ivoire's Bafing region south of Touba, descended from the Diomande clan who migrated from the Beyla area of Mali Empire territory around the 1500s, pushing the neighboring Dan people further south.

They are an indigenous people in the Malinke people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Islam, and they primarily speak Mahou.

Pray for the MauPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Mau people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Mau

Fast facts

Country
Cote d’Ivoire
Population
453,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Malinke
Primary language
Mahou (mxx)
Primary religion
Folk Islam
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Western Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Mau are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Mau

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Folk Islam · Islam

99% adherents

Primary language

Mahou · Mande family

100% speak Mahou

Gospel resources in Mahou

  • Bible available, published 2019
  • JESUS Film not available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Bibles

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Mau

  1. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  2. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
  3. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  4. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.

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